Apparatus for punching spinning jets



g- 1967 K. A. HARTLEY ETAL 3,

APPARATUS FOR :PUNCHING SPINNING JETS Filed May 27, 1964 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 I K. A. HARTLEY ET'AL 3,338,085 APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS -Aug. 29, 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1964 By [Ji 0W Attorneyi K. A. HARTLEY ETAL 3,338,085

Aug. 29, 19.67

APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS Filed May 27, 1964 8 Sheets-Sheet s II/II By a M 7 Atto rneyi 1967 K. A. HARTLEY ETAL 3,338,085

APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS Filed May 27, 1964 a Sheefs-She'et 4 Attorneyi Filed May 27, 71964 19'57 K. A. HARTLEY ETAL 3,338,085

APPARATUS FOR- PUNVCHING SPINNING JETS A ttorney.

8 Shet's-Sheet s i g 29, 1967 K. A. HARTLEY ETAL' 3,338,085

APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 2'7, 1964 g- 1957 K. A. HARTLEY ETAL 1 3,338,085

APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS Filed May 27, 1964 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 A 7 K, A. HARTLEY ETAL 3,338,085

APPARATUS FOR- PUNCHING SPINNING JETS Filed May 27, 1964 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 A g m m Q1 1 Nmmwm Jam 14 jcau i 7M Altorneyi United States Patent 3,338,085 APPARATUS FOR PUNCHIN G SPINNING JETS Kenneth Alison Hartley, George Herbert Wilson, and William Hughes, Coventry, England, assignors to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a British coman p y Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,582 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 27, 1963, 21,037/ 63 18 Claims. (Cl. 72-414) The jets used for spinning man-made fibres usually comprise a metal diaphragm through which are formed a number of very small holes. They may be as small as one or two thousandths of an inch in transverse dimension and may number between under one hundred and several thousand.

A spinning jet is made from a preformed jet blank, which comprises the metal diaphragm and an integral support part of metal surrounding it. A common shape of jet blank is thimble-like, with the diaphragm forming the end wall and the side wall being the support part.

The holes are usually produced by punching so as to indent the metal diaphragm with the desired shape of the hole (which is tapered so as to give a suitable lead in for the flow of the spinning fluid), and afterwards the opposite surface is ground until the holes break through. Usually the punching is done by means of a hand-operated punch with the metal diaphragm carried in a suitable mounting, the mounting and/ or the punch being positioned by hand. Although pantograph or other guide means may be used to assist the positioning of the punch it will be understood that considerable skill is required and that since the work has to be observed by means of a microscope it is somewhat arduous.

The punching is usually carried out in two or more stages, the first punch simply indenting the metal and the last punch acting as a broach to give the desired crosssectional shape. It will be understood that the subsequent punch or punches must be accurately centred with the indentation formed by the previous punch or punches in order that a true hole will be produced and the punch will not be damaged. This necessity and the very small dimensions involved has caused difiiculty in previous attempts at producing jets by machine. In particular, if one stage of the punching is performed on all the holes, the flow of the metal will cause the first indentation to move out of its original position by the time the last indentation has been formed so that location of the subsequent punch or punches is interfered with.

According to this invention apparatus for punching spinning jets comprises a rotatable holder for holding a jet blank, an anvil having a surface for supporting the diaphragm of the blank, means for rotating the holder and the anvil about an axis perpendicular to the said surface in a predetermined number of steps together constituting one complete revolution, and control means for determining the number of steps, a chuck for holding a punch with its axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder and anvil and with its operative end directed towards the said surface of the anvil but spaced therefrom at least sufficiently to clear the diaphragm of a jet blank held in the holder, the chuck being movable laterally of the axis at least sufliciently to traverse a punch held in it between the axis and a point between the axis and the periphery of the said surface of the anvil, locating means for positioning the chuck at any point in its traverse, and actuating means for causing relative axial movement between the anvil and the chuck to a position in which a punch held in the chuck would engage and indent to a predetermined degree the diaphragm of a blank held in the holder.

Patented Aug. 29, 1967 ice With this arrangement, once the punch has been set in position at a point in its traverse at the desired radial dis tance from the axis of rotation of the holder for a desired ring of holes to be punched, the control means can be set to cause the rotation means for the holder to execute a number of steps equal to the number of holes required in a single rotation, and the apparatus can be set in motion and the actuating means be caused to operate at the completion or before the commencement of each step of rotation so that a ring of indentations is produced.

Preferably the apparatus includes a trigger mechanism to cause the actuating mechanism to operate automatically as each step of rotation is completed or is about to be commenced.

It is found that when a single ring of indentations is produced in the manner described the flow of metal is not suflicient to affect appreciably the position of the first indentation of the ring in the blank by the time the whole ring has been punched. Therefore when two or more punching operations are required in the production of a hole the subsequent punch or punches can simply be positioned in the same position as the first punch and the machine can be caused to repeat its operations for each successive punch. Precise location of the punches is all i that is required.

For this purpose the chucks for the punches are preferably mounted on a turret rotatable about an aXis parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder, each chuck being mounted on the turret at the same radial distance from the turret axis, and means is provided for indexing the turret so as to bring the successive chuck or chucks precisely into the position previously occupied by the first chuck.

The precise positioning of the chucks can be executed by mounting locating elements on the turret for the respective chucks, the position of each of the locating elements relative to its respective chuck being identical, and mounting a complementary locating means on the body of the apparatus. The turret can then be indexed approximately -to its desired position and the locating means can then be caused to engage the adjacent locating element on the turret to give precise location.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a pictorial front elevation of an apparatus for punching spinning jets.

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation, to a somewhat larger scale, of a punch indexing head of the apparatus, with a part of its casing removed.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the punch indexing head, shown partly in section.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional elevation of a chuck for holding a punch in the apparatus.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional elevation of the jet blank holder and associated parts of the apparatus, viewed along the line AA of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5, viewed along the lines BB and CC of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 7 is a plan of the lower part of the apparatus, with the jet blank holder omitted.

FIGURE 8 is a detail elevation of the indexing head and turret locating means, viewed in the direction of arrow D of FIGURE 2.

Referring first to FIGURE 1 the apparatus comprises a lower bench-like part 30 in which is mounted a holder 17 (not shown in FIGURE 1) for a jet blank and associated mechanism, and in which is housed the programming and control mechanism of the apparatus. On the lower part 30 is mounted an indexing head 31 in which is rotatably mounted a turret 4 carrying one or more chucks.

front of the lower part 30 in a position convenient for an operator to observe a jet blank mounted in the holder.

The turret 4 will normally carry up to four chucks 2 equal in number to the number of punchingoperations required for producing the desired indentation in the jet blank being operated upon, in general this will be two or three but for convenience only one is shown in the drawings.

FIGURES 2, 3 and 8 show details of the indexing head and the turret. The turret 4 is mounted on a spindle 32 carried in bearings 33 in the indexing head, the axis of the spindle being parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder 17 in the lower part 30. The spindle is driven by a motor 34a through gearing 34 so as to bring any one of the chucks 2 into approximate alignment with the holder 17, the radial distance of the axis of each chuck from the axis of the spindle 33 being appropriately set to bring the chuck to the desired position. The spindle is driven through the gearing 34 through a clutch 35 and the motor 34a driving the gearing is controlled by a microswitch 97 operated by an arm 36 carrying a follower roller 37. Cams 38 are secured to the side of the turrets in positions such that they will engage and move the follower 37 so as to cause the microswitch to release the clutch 35 when each chuck is positioned approximately in alignment with the axis of the holder. To align the punch 26 of a chuck so positioned precisely at the desired radius of the holder at which a ring of indentations is to be formed in a jet blank, a locating means is provided in the indexing head, and complementary locating members 1 are mounted on the turret. The locating means comprises a part spherical member 5 mounted on an arm 6 in the indexing head and the complementary locating members 1 on the turret are blocks having V- shaped grooves 3 in which the part spherical member 5 can seat. Each block is positioned so that it will be approximately in position for engagement by the part spherical member 5 when the respective chuck 2 is approximately aligned with the holder 17. The pivot 8 of the arm 6 is mounted on a plate 9 which is itself pivoted at 10 in the indexing'head so that the arm pivot 8 can be moved to adjust the position in which the chuck and its punch are loacted when the part spherical member 5 engages the groove of a block 1. This enables the punch to be positioned at any desired radial distance from the axis of'the holder for producing a ring of indentations as will be described. A pointer (not shown) is connected to the plate 9 and moves across a scale 12 in the front of the indexing head which indicates the position of the plate and thus the radial distance of the punch from the axis of the holder. In operation, the spindle is first rotated to bring a punch approximately into alignment with the holder, the respective cam 38 engaging the follower roller 37 to cease rotation of the turret at this point, the plate 9 is moved to set the pivot 8 at the appropriate position for the ring of indentations it is desired to punch and the arm 6 is rotated by means of a pneumatic cylinder 7 to cause the part spherical member 5 to engage the respective block 1. Operation of the pneumatic cylinder 7 is triggered by the arm 36.

In the complete sequence of operations of producing a ring of indentations each of the punches 26 is positioned in sequence in appropriate alignment with the holder and the anvil of the holder is actuated as will be described to cause the punch to produce a ring of indentations, or to operate upon indentations already produced by the previous punch. To give an indication when the last punch of the sequence is in position an additional cam 39 is mounted on the side of the turret to engage a follower roller 40 when the last of the punches is positioned approximately in alignment with the holder. The follower roller 40 is connected to a microswitch in circuit 94 with the programming and control equipment of the apparatus to give an indication that the plate 9 should be reset for causing the punches to operate at a difierent radius on the jet blank, or that the jet blank is completed and should be replaced.

Referring now to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, the holder 17 is mounted on the end of a spindle 41 slidably mounted in bearings 42 in a carrier sleeve 43 which itself is rotatably mounted in bearings 44 in the lower part of the apparatus, the axis of the spindle 41 being parallel to that of the spindle 32 carrying the turret. As shown in FIG- URE 5, the holder comprises an anvil 45 secured to the upper end of the spindle 41, a sleeve member 46 secured to the anvil, and having an axial bore of diameter and length such as to receive snugly a jet blank 47 such that its diaphragm part 48 will seat upon the anvil,.and a detachable cover part 49 to hold the blank 47 in position, having a central opening to allow access of the punches 26. It will be understood that the design of the anvil 45, the sleeve member 46 and the cover part 49 will depend upon the shape of the jet blank 47 to be punched.

For rotating the holder to bring various parts of it in line with the punches, a gear wheel 50 is secured to the upper end of the carrier sleeve 43, and meshes with a gear 51 driven by a motor 52. The gear wheel 50 also meshes with a second gear 53 on the spindle of'a rotary potentiometer 54. The resistance of the potentiometer 54 is balanced against that of a chain of resistors in a control circuit for the motor 52 which is housed in the lo-wer part 30 of .the apparatus, and in use a stepping switch actuating aftereach operation of the punch, which will be described, .increases the resistance of the chain, energising the motor to advance the carrier sleeve and thus the potentiometer until the resistance is balanced whereupon the motor stops until a further operation of the punch is completed. The total resistance of the chain is such that the motor must rotate sufiiciently to cause the carrier sleeve to make exactly one revolution in order to balance the potentiometer against the whole chain. The carrier sleeve and the holder are then advanced in a series of steps'through a complete revolution, the punch being caused to operate after each step. The number and spacing of the steps is determined by the resistorsin the chain, and several difierent chains are provided in the control circuitry which can be switched in selectively for punching dilferent numbers of indentations in a single rotation.

For causing a punch '26 to operate on the blank, the holder and anvil are raised to cause the diaphragm part 48 of a blank 47 mounted in the holder to be indented by the punch. The punch is first set (as will be described) in a position such that the full stroke ofthe holder and anvil will give the desired degree of penetration. For ,raising the holder and anvil a two-stage pneumatic piston and cylinder mechanism 55 is mounted below the lower end of the spindle 41. The mechanism comprises a cylinder 19 housing a piston '18 having an integral axial tubular piston rod 56 within which is slidable a rod 57 coaxial with the spindle 41 and engaging a foot member at the lower end of the spindle when the piston is in its lowermost position. The piston has 'an internal cavity 58 across which is a diaphragm 11, normally supported by the lower wall 59 of the cavity, which supports the lower end of the rod 57. A tubular extension 20 of the lower part of the piston slidesin an extension 60 of the cylinder and has a counterbore 61 at its lower end to receive slida-bly an air supply nipple 62 sealed thereto by an O-ring 63.

For causing the piston to raise the holder 17 .and the anvil 45, air is supplied to the cylinder 19 through the pipe connector 64, causing the piston to rise to its full extent, and raising the holder and the anvil to a first-stage position in which the diaphragm part 48 of a blank 47 in the holder will be just clear of the end of a punch 26. This first-stage movement is initiated by the microswitch 97 and its completion is identified by a microswitch 65 actuated by an arm 66 pivoted to the frameof the apparatus, and engaged by a flange 67 on the foot member 68 rotatably mounted in bearings 69 in the lower end of the spindle 41, the foot member enabling the spindle to rotate without restriction by the rod 57. Actuation of the microswitch 65 causes a pulse of air to be supplied from any conventional compressed air source such as valved tank 96 to the nipple 63 whereupon the diaphragm 11 is caused to rise in the piston raising thespindle 41 and the holder and anvil to cause the diaphragm of the jet blank 48 of the blank to be indented by the punch. The stage of movement is identified by a second microswitch 70 actuated by the arm 66.

The first stage of movement of the spindle 41 is made before the motor 52 is energised to rotate the holder. After the signal is given by the microswitch 65 the motor is energised to rotate the holder in a series of steps as described, and after each step the second stage of movement of the spindle is caused to take place so that an indentation is punched after each step, the microswitch 70 giving a signal to indicate that the motor can be advanced each successive step. After completion of a ring of indentations, as indicated by balance of the potentiometer 54 against the complete chain of resistors air pressure to the cylinder 19 is released whereupon the spindle reverts to its lowermost position, this stage being identified by a-microswitch 71 actuated by a second arm 72 pivoted to the frame of the apparatus and engaging the flange 67 as shown in FIGURE 6. To ensure complete return of the spindle a spring 73 is provided between a collar 74 on the spindle and an annular ring engaging a circlip 75 retaining the upper bearing 42 in the carrier sleeve.

For setting the position of the punches 26 to provide the desired depth of indentation the spindle can be raised manually by means of a hand-wheel 25 operating a linkage 76 connected to a pivotal arm 77 the end of which is bifurcated to engage the flange 67 of the foot member 68. With the holder raised by the means of the hand-wheel 25 the jet blank and the tip of a punch can be observed through the microscope 16. Asshown in FIGURES 3 and 4 the punch is so mounted that it can be adjusted axially and radially in the turret. The punch 26 is clamped in a holder part 78 at the lower end of the chuck, secured to a spindle 22 slidably mounted in the tubular body 21 of the chuck 2. The spindle has a screw threaded part 79 which is engaged by a complementary screw threaded ring 23 seating against the lower end of the body 21 and surrounded by a knurled ring 80 clamped to it by a set screw 81 and having a number of holes 82 for engagement by a pin spanner 83. To prevent any backlash in the screw threads between the part 79 and the ring 23 the spindle 22 is urged upwardly in the body 21 by means of a spring 24. Thus the punch can be moved axially relative to the turret and to the holder 17 by turning the knurled ring 80. For radial and circumferential adjustment, the body 21 of the chuck 2 is housed in a clearance hole 13 in the turret 4 and a head part 84 of the chuck, larger than the hole 13, engages the upper surface of the turret 4 and is clamped in position by a bridge member 14 and a clamping screw 15. For setting, a prepunched jet may be used in place of the blank 47, or trial indentations may be made in a blank. In use of a prepunched blank, the holder is raised to its uppermost position and whilst observed through the microscope the radial and axial positions of the punch may be adjusted so that its operative tip engages fully with an indentation of the prepunched blank. The clamping screw 15 is then tightened whereupon the chuck is firmly held. In use of an unpunched blank for setting, the holder is raised very nearly to its uppermost position and the punch is set so that its tip is just clear of the diaphragm. The machine is actuated to cause the punch to make an indentation and this can be observed and measured by use of the microscope whereupon further adjustment to the position of the punch may be made as desired. Each punch in the turret is set individually to a single indentation in the blank so that in subsequent operations successive punches will correctly enter the indentations made by previous punches.

To enable the positioning of the pivot 8 of the arm 10 which locates the turret to be programmed for a particular blank a potentiometer system similar to that used for the stepping of the motor 52 is used. The plate 9 has gear teeth around its edge 85 which are engaged by a sprocket 86 on the shaft of a motor 87. The teeth also drive, through an idler gear train 88 a gear 89 on the shaft of a rotary potentiometer 90 which is balanced against a resistor chain in a circuit 98 controlling the energisation of the motor 87. As in the case of the motor 52 driving the holder, the resistors in the chain (not shown) are selected according to the number and radii of the rings of indentations to be punched. As in the case of the system controlling the motor 52, several different chains of resistors may be provided, with a selector switch to bring any one of them into operation according to the number and spacing of the desired rings of indentations. The control circuit of the motor 52 and that of the motors 87 and 34a are interconnected so as to cause the motor 34a to operate after a complete ring of indentations has been punched by each successive punch in the turret and the programming of the apparatus is such that after all the punches in the turret have operated on one ring, as indicated by the microswitch operated by the follower roller 40 the motor 87 is operated so that the punches will then be located in position for another ring. The motors' 34a and 87 are operated only when a complete ring of indentations has been made or when a new blank is placed in the holder. The apparatus can thus be programmed to perform a complete sequal of operations on a jet blank without attention from an operator, the operator being called upon only to insert jet blanks in the holder, to remove them when completed and to reset the apparatus to starting condition.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for punching spinning jets comprising a rotatable holder for holding a jet blank, an anvil having a surface for supporting the diaphragm of the blank, means for rotating the holder and the anvil one complete revolution about an axis perpendicular to the said surface, first control means for elfecting said rotation in a predetermined number of sequential steps, selective means for selecting and establishing said predetermined number, a chuck for holding a punch with the punchs axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder and anvil and with its operative end directed towards the said surface of the anvil but spaced therefrom at least sufliciently to clear the diaphragm of a jet blank held in the holder, the chuck being movable laterally of said axis of rotation at least sufiiciently to traverse a punch held in it between said axis of rotation and a point between said axis of rotation and the periphery of the said surface of the anvil, locating means for positioning the chuck automatically at predetermined points in its traverse, second control means for selecting and establishing said predetermined points, and actuating means, stimulated by the positioning of the chuck and the steps of rotation of the holder, to cause relative axial movement between the anvil and the chuck to a position in which a punch held in the chuck would engage and indent to a predetermined degree the diaphragm of a jet blank held in the holder.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a trigger mechanism to cause the actuating means to operate antomatically as each step of rotation is completed or is about to be commenced.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the actuating means is arranged to cause relative axial movement between the anvil and the chuck in two stages, the first stage being such that the operative end of a punch held in the chuck would just clear the diaphragm of a blank held in the holder and the second stage being such that the desired degree of indentation of the diaphragm by the punch would be caused.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the actuating means operates upon the anvil so as to move it towards the chuck.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 including adjustment means associated with the chuck for varying the axial position of a punch held in the chuck so as to determine the degree of indentation of the diaphragm of a 'blank held in the holder upon operation of the actuating means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 including a plurality of chucks for holding ditferent punches, and punch selection means for sequentially positioning said chucks in a predetermined order at said predetermined points.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said punch selection means is caused to operate by rotation of said holder.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 including means for actuating said punch selection means upon the completion of each complete rotation of said holder.

9. Apparatus according to claim 6 including a turret carrying the chucks, the turret being rotatable to position each chuck selectively at said predetermined points and also to provide the said lateral movement of the chucks to position such chucks at said predetermined points.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 including a driving motor, drive means connecting the motor to the turret, cams mounted on the turret in spaced association with each chuck, follower means mounted for engagement by one of said cams when a chuck is approximately at one of said predetermined points, said follower means operatively associated with the drive means to operatively disconnect the motor from the turret when engaged by one of said cams, complementary location elements on the turret for engagement by the locating means when the drive is so disconnected, the locating means being adjustable for setting the exact position in which the turret is to be located.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the 10- cating means comprises a pivoted arm carrying a partspherical member and the complementary location elements on the turret are grooved blocks, one precisely positioned in relation to each of the chucks, said second control means effecting movement of the pivot of the arm so as to vary the position in which a block is fully engaged by the part-spherical member.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said second control means efiects movement of said pivot of the arm in predetermined steps corresponding to the desired radial positions in which indentations are desired to be punched in a jet blank, and wherein said second control means effects such movement after each complete rotation of said holder.

'13. Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said second control means includes parts for causing movement of the pivot of the arm in predetermined steps, and means for selectively bringing into operation the proper number and size of said steps.

14. Apparatus for punching spinning jets comprising a rotatable holder for holding a jet blank, an anvil having a surface for supporting the diaphragm of the blank, means for rotating the holder and the anvil precisely one complete revolution about an axis perpendicular to the said surface, first control means for effecting said rotation in stepped form, said first control means including means for establishing different numbers of steps, and a selector for selecting and effecting a predetermined number of steps, a plurality of chucks each of which can hold a punch with its axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the holder and anvil and with its operative end directed towards the plane of the said surface of the anvil but spaced therefrom at least suificiently to clear a jet blank when mounted in the holder, means for moving the chucks so that any one of them can be positioned with the axis of a punch mounted therein lying within the area of the said surface of the anvil and for traversing the said one chuck when so positioned so that the axis of the said punch can be traversed between the rotational axis of the holder and the anvil and a point between the rotational axis and the periphery of the said surface of the anvil, locating means for locating the chuck at pre determined points in its said traverse, second control means for selecting and establishing said predetermined points, and actuating means, stimulated by the positioning of the chuck and the steps of rotation of the holder, to cause relative axial movement between the anvil and a chuck when so positioned to a condition in which a punch held in the said chuck would engage and indent to a predetermined degree the diaphragm of a jet blank held in the holder, and an interlink between the means for rotating the holder and the anvil, the first and second control means, the means for moving and traversing the chucks, the locating means and the actuating means, the interlink including means for influencing each of the said means in response to a predetermined programme, the apparatus being programmed to perform a sequence of operations for punching all the indentations desired in a 'jet blank without further setting.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 in which the interlink includes electric switches to identify the performance of each operation in the said sequence and to trigger subsequent operations.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said first control means comprises (a) an electrical control circuit for the chuck traversing means comprising a chain of resistors,

(b) a potentiometer having a resistance variable by the chuck traversing means and being balanced against said chain, and

(c) a stepping switch responsive to the jet punching operation to vary the effective resistance of said chain and unbalance the potentiometer-chain relationship, said unbalance actuating said chuck traversing means to traverse said chuck and vary the resistance of the potentiometer until the potentiometer-chain balance is restored whereupon said chuck traversing means ceases operation.

17. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first control means comprises (a) an electrical control circuit for the holder rotating means including a chain of resistors,

(b) a potentiometer having a resistance variable by the holder rotating means and being balanced against said chain, and

(c) a stepping switch responsive to each jet punching operation to vary the effective resistance of said chain and unbalance the potentiometer-chain relationship, said unbalance actuating said holder rotating means to rotate said holder and vary the resistance of the potentiometer until the potentiometerchain balance is restored whereupon said holder rotating means ceases rotation.

18. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said first control means comprises (a) an electrical control circuit for the holder rotating means including a chain of resistors (b) a potentiometer having a resistance variable by the holder rotating means and being balanced against said chain, and

(c) a stepping switch responsive to each jet punching operation to vary the effective resistance of said chain and unbalance the potentiometer-chain relationship, said unbalance actuating said holder rotating means to rotate said holder and vary the resistance of the potentiometer until the potentiometerchain balance is restored whereupon said holder rotating means ceases rotation.

(References on following page) 9 1 0 References Cited 3,145,587 8/ 1964 Hautau 29-26 3,187,607 6/1965 Krummeck 76107 UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 805,360 11/1905 Hinde 72444 2,115,402 4/1933 Spaanbroek. 5 620967 1/1927 Fram- 2,148,221 2/1939 Schneider 72, 414 CHARLES W- LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

2,469,920 5/1949 Henkel 775 G. P. CROSBY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING SPINNING JETS COMPRISING A ROTATABLE HOLDER FOR HOLDING A JET BLANK, AN ANVIL HAVING A SURFACE FOR SUPPORTING THE DIAPHRAGM OF THE BLANK, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE HOLDER AND THE ANVIL ONE COMPLETE REVOLUTION ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE SAID SURFACE, FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR EFFECTING SAID ROTATION IN A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF SEQUENTIAL STEPS, SELECTIVE MEANS FOR SELECTING AND ESTABLISHING SAID PREDETERMINED NUMBER, A CHUCK FOR HOLDING A PUNCH WITH THE PUNCH''S AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE HOLDER AND ANVIL AND WITH ITS OPERATIVE END DIRECTED TOWARDS THE SAID SURFACE OF THE ANVIL BUT SPACED THEREFROM AT LEAST SUFFICIENTLY TO CLEAR THE DIAPHRAGM OF A JET BLANK HELD IN THE HOLDER, THE CHUCK BEING MOVABLE LATERALLY OF SAID AXIS OF ROTATION AT LEAST SUFFICIENTLY TO TRAVERSE A PUNCH HELD IN IT BETWEEN SAID AXIS OF ROTATION AND A POINT BETWEEN SAID AXIS OF ROTATION AND THE PERIPHERY OF THE SAID SURFACE OF THE ANVIL, LOCATING MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE CHUCK AUTOMATICALLY AT PREDETERMINED POINTS IN TS TRAVERSE, SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTING AND ESTABLISHING SAID PREDETERMINED POINTS, AND ACTUATING MEANS, STIMULATED BY THE POSITIONING OF THE CHUCK AND THE STEPS OF ROTATION OF THE HOLDER, TO CAUSE RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE ANVIL AND THE CHUCK TO A POSITION IN WHICH A PUNCH HELD IN THE CHUCK WOULD ENGAGE AND INDENT TO A PREDETERMINED DEGREE THE DIAPHRAGM OF A JET BLANK HELD IN THE HOLDER. 